Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665 (digitized by Madpixel)) by Johannes VermeerMauritshuis
Can you guess the picture?
Below we have given you six clues to the identity of this painting. But can you solve the mystery?
Clue 1
The striking girl in the painting was almost certainly based on a real life model but her identity is unknown. A number of theories have been suggested, including that it was the artist's eldest daughter, but experts can’t agree on a definite identity. The mystery led to the creation of a 1999 historical novel by Tracy Chevalier named after the painting, which was later turned into a feature film in 2004 and stage play in 2008.
Clue 2
The picture is a distinct kind of Dutch painting known as a tronie. These are known for depicting idealized faces or expressions. They often also feature exotic and uncharacteristic elements for the time. This explains the slightly unusual headdress and jewelry featured in the picture.
Clue 3
The painting is often known as the ‘Mona Lisa of the North’ as it has come to rival Da Vinci’s masterpiece in terms of exposure and recognition. The image has become iconic, appearing on t-shirts, mugs, cushion covers and more. In the age of the internet and social media, it has also become the subject of numerous memes and viral marketing campaigns. Banksy even used the painting as the subject of one of his graffiti works in Bristol.
Clue 4
It hasn’t always been so well known. Painted in around 1655-66, it ended up in the private collection of one of his patrons and was then sold by his son in law. For the next 200 years it was more or less lost before being bought by a collector for the princely sum of 2 guilders (around $1). On his death the collector donated the picture to the Mauritshuis in the Hague, in 1902, where it remains to this day.
Clue 5
The background, which now appears to be black, was once a glossy green. Restoration work on the painting found traces of both indigo and weld, which when combined would have produced a dark but glistening green. Over the years the pigments in the glaze have broken down to change the painting’s colour.
Clue 6
It probably isn’t a real pearl featured in the painting. A study published by the New Scientist found that the light reflecting off the earring wouldn’t match that of a real pearl. The size of the jewel also indicates it is more likely a glass bead, as pearls of this size would have been the preserve of only the extremely wealthy at the time. However, pearls appear in a number of the painter’s other works, and it is thought they may have a religious significance.
Have you guessed it?
There are some pretty big clues in there. A girl. A pearl earring. It is, of course, Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.
If this painting has captivated your imagination, you are not alone. You can learn how it inspired Tracy Chevalier to write an entire novel about the painting here.
